Welcome Back World!

WHERE HAVE YOU GONE JOE DIMAGGIO?

Wow... Just noticed my last post was over two years ago! Nathan is now 9, and he's still trying to negatively influence my fantasy football team selections. We're playing head-to-head in our league championship this week and he's posted a message that says "i am not starting adrian peterson."


Hmmm ... is he trying to get me to sit some of my more talented players as a challenge to let our second string duke it out? Or does he know something about Jerome Harrison and Ahmad Bradshaw that I don't? I'm letting him have it with Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew anyway. Check back to see whether or not he successfully defends his title from last year.

TIGER

Again ... wow! If you've read this blog before you'll know that of all my posts (2), half of them are about Mr. Tiger Woods. He's a legendary golfer, a passionate competitor and a HUGELY successful athlete. I look forward to seeing him between the ropes on a golf course again very soon.

As for his personal and private life, I'll begrudgingly follow it via US Weekly, in Touch and the other rags. It's like a train wreck ... I don't mean to stare, but it's so hard to turn the other way. I sincerely hope that he and his family are able to move forward as best as could possibly be expected given the circumstances.

WORK

From Edward Jones to MasterCard Worldwide to Savvis, it's been a whirlwind. I've learned a ton about people, organizational maturity and technology. I've been blessed to work with great leaders, reconnect with wise mentors and even start a small business venture with one of them! I expect 2010 will have a number of personal and professional growth opportunities ... looking forward to the show!

PLAY

• My weekly pickup basketball games are a thing of the past ... too much work to get into Ladue in a timely manner and the allure of catching up with the boys during some MNF is pretty persuasive also.
• Climbing shoes and chalk have also remained in the closet for some time ... I'm not sure I could climb a fence at this point. ;)
• Poker skills need some dusting off too. Any holiday games I was able to participate in were more of a charitable donation than a viable chance at winning money.

Man, this changing jobs and starting a business stuff really impacts your social life. Still getting out to see good friends on a pretty regular basis, and looking forward to some warmer weather to get the clubs out of the basement!

FAMILY

I put this last not because that's where they fall in terms of priority, but because it's taken that log to debate whether to drag them onto the internet with me (with the noted exception of Nate's fantasy football genius).

1. The kids are fantastic! They of course don't like the idea of going back and forth, but two Christmases and the chance to manipulate two sets of rules certainly keeps them busy. :) Nate finished his first season of tackle football this year and is currently in his 5th year of basketball. Won the first game of their holiday tournament yesterday and are scheduled for an 8:00AM start on Monday. Kaylyn started her first season of gymnastics and is a few weeks away from doing cartwheels as her main mode of getting from point A to point B. And she promises that she'll practice the piano everyday if she were lucky enough to get a keyboard ... we'll see.
2. Significant other(s) ... it's complicated. Women have been an enigma to me going all the way back to my mom. Very special people, very difficult to "figure out". Having Kaylyn has upped the ante that I devote more time, attention, energy and effort to understanding the fairer sex. I've found a great girl, and at times I can't tell if she's trying to get me to expand my horizons are just trying to piss me off. ;) We'll keep at it and try to figure out what contributes to the good times and limit whatever it is that makes us both want to run for the hills.
3. Ummm, me ... turns our I'm more complicated than I thought too. I've found an excellent teacher in terms of life lessons, psychology, spirituality (yes, I said it) and continuing to improve yourself as a person. It'll be a lifelong journey I'm sure, but it's more enlightening than it's ever been. Still looking for my "life's work", and for now I'm content with it being raising two wonderful kids and appreciating a girl who clearly loves me very much.

In 2010 ... I'll try not to go another 26 months between posts so we can discuss lighter topics and skip the biographical updates. ;)

Cheers!